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Wednesday, October 8, 2008

Ritual of Pandora's Box

A Little History Lesson

In Greek Mythology, the story of Pandora is closely connected to the story of Prometheus, who stole fire from Mt. Olympus and gave it to mankind. In punishment for his crime Prometheus was chained to a mountain where an eagle would eat out his liver each day.

But the ancient Gods weren't satisfied in punishing Prometheus alone as human benefited from the theft as well. Zeus commanded Hephaestus to mold a woman out of earthen clay. She was named Anesidora, but today she is known as Pandora and her name means "The All-Giver" or "She who send up gifts."Each of the powerful Gods had a hand in her creation and gave her special gifts. She was then sent to earth with a jar, or box in other stories, that she was told not to open.

According to the myth, Pandora opened the box releasing all the evils of the world upon mankind---greed, vanity, envy, etc...---leaving only Hope inside the box once it was closed.

Pandora: A Modern Viewpoint

Some feminist scholars believe that in pre-Hellenistic myths Pandora was a manifestation of the Great Goddess who provided humankind with all the gifts necessary for survival. They believe that the popular tale of Pandora as the bringer of man's downfall is the direct result of a campaign to demote her from her previously revered status. In addition, feminist theory suggest that Pandora's "jar" is symbolic of her womb. The fact that the jar releases evil upon the world is indicative of man's unease with female sexuality and power.

Your Hope Chest

Do you cling to some secret hope? Is there something that you really want or need, but never thought it possible for whatever reason. Maybe you felt you didn't deserve what you want, or thought it was expecting too much. Before we go any further, you must understand one thing. If you truly think that you can never have your dreams realized, you're right. Conversely if you believe that you can have what you desire, you're right again!

As humans, we live in a multi-dimensional universe where all things are possible. There is more than enough abundance in the universe to meet everyone's needs. When it comes to our dreams, there is no such thing as expecting too much!

If you can wrap your mind around that concept and hold it in your heart, you've surmounted your first hurdle. Now, to obtain your dream all you have to do is ask....

Ritual of Pandora's Box

You will need:

A Box- There really is no restriction on what kind of box it is, so long as it has a lid. It can be a shoe-box, a jewelry box, a cigar box, or even a match box.

Pen and Paper- You will use these to write down your goal. The instruments you choose can be as ordinary or as extravagant as you like. You can use anything from plain white paper, to special stationary; from an ordinary pencil, to a quill feather dipped in magickal ink. You can write your goal in your own handwriting, in calligraphy, in runes, or any manner you like and which you yourself are able to read. However, I would caution you not to print your goal statement off your computer. By actually hand-writing your goal you are putting personal energy into your paper.

Choose the correct time to perform your ritual. The date in which you choose to do your ritual should be in harmony with your goal. A good all-purpose time would be during the Full Moon on a Sunday. However, depending on your desire, you may wish to choose another time.

Create Sacred Space.

Cleanse and Bless the box that you have chosen.

Write down your goal. Your goal should be written in the form of an affirmation indicating that it has already manifested. You may wish to begin your affirmation with the words " I am effortlessly manifesting...." Using I am, rather than the alternatives I will, I will be, or I am going to puts your affirmation and attention in the here and now rather than at some future unknown date.

Fill your box. When you have written down your affirmation, fold the paper towards you three times, rotating it clockwise between each fold, then place it in the box. If you have gathered those symbols that are in harmony with your goal, you may place them in the box at time as well. As you continue to work on your goal, these can be placed in the box at a later date.

Raise Energy. Place three votive-candles on top of the box and before it burn incense. Light the three candles and say the words below as each candle is lit. Then spend time visualizing your goal as if it has already manifested. See yourself enjoying the fruits of your labor.

"Within this box together I bring,symbols of a hope to which I cling;I call upon Pandora, the All-Giver,to my hopes & dreams deliver!

When you are done, leave the candles and incense to burn out on their own. Detach yourself from the work that you have done. You do not want to get caught up in the HOW and WHEN will your goal manifest, just know that IT WILL MANIFEST.

Even though the initial ritual is over, you must remember to send energy into the box every day. You can do this in any manner that you like. Some people like to burn candles near their box, other like to drum or play music in its vicinity. I usually sit with the box on my lap and place my hands on it and mentally draw energy up from the earth. I channel this energy through my hands into the box while visualizing my goal and chanting my incantation.

Once your goal is manifested, remove the paper and symbols from the box and start over with a new goal.

4 comments:

Wow Excellent post thank you! Being a newbie sometimes the basics need to be addressed. I know what it means to create a sacred space fundamentally and to set up protection for yourself etc but I have never really seen a good description of how to do it. Any advice on where to look or how to do it?